Mail-box and transmitter.



No. 822,294. PATENTED JUNE 5, 1906. H. MUELLER.

MAIL BOX AND TRANSMITTER.

APPLIUATION FILED AUG-14, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

Wi ma/ans PATENTED JUNE 5, 1906.

H. MUELLER.

MAIL BOX AND TRANSMITTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 WE tvwows PATENTED JUNE 5, 1906- H. MUELLER.

MAIL BOX AND TRANSMITTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.14. 1905.

3 BHEETS-SHBET 3.

I a I v III/III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/I/III a /6 ls\ UNITED sTATEs PAT- r oEEioE. f

HENRY MUELLER, or KILBOURN, WISCONSIN.

MAIL-BOX AND TRANSMITTER.

Transmitters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mail-boxes for use in rural mail service, and has for its ob ect the provision of an improved structure of box so arranged in electrical circuit with an alarm that notice is given when mail is deposited for the occupants of the house to which the device is attached, and also improved means for transmitting the box to and from the house and road postman passes.

My invention will be described in detail hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of my invention; Fig. 2, a detail of operating means; Fig. 3, an end view looking at the device from the road. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the hanger and showing the tube in section; Fig. 5, a view of a fragment of the tube, showing the quarter-turn Fig. 6, a crosssection of an enlarged view of the box; Fig. 7, a longitudinal sectional view of the box, showing the circuit-controller for the house-alarm; and Fig. 8, a detail view of the flag-signal and door of the box.

In the drawings similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

A represents a house to which my invention is attached, the operating means being shown as installed 011 the porch B thereof, but may obviously be set up inside of the house, if preferred. I

1 represents a tube secured to the porch B and extending out to the roadway C and supported on a post 2 on the edge of said roadway and posts 3 between the porch B and roadway. The tube 1 is bent downward at the roadway-post, as shown at 1.

4 represents a cable in tube 1, to the ends of which is secured a link 5, from which is suspended a standard 6, carrying the mailbox 7, a slot 8 being provided in the tube 1 to receive said standard, said slot extending along the bottom of the tube from the porch B to the post 2, where it makes a quarterturn and extends alon the inner side of the downwardly-bent portion 1, so that the box along which the Specification of Letters Patent.

- Application filed August 14, 1905. Serial No. 274,200.

Patented June 5, 1906.

7, which is pivotally mounted on the standard 6, comes to rest in the bent portion of the part 1", as shown in Fig. 3.

The cable 4 is actuated by means of a drum 9, secured to a vertical shaft 10, journaled on the porch, as shown in Fig. 2. The vertical shaft 10 is actuated by the gearing 11, or any other suitable power-transmitting devices may be employed. It will be understood from this construction that the mail-box 7 is actuated by means of the drum 9, actuated by the gearing 11.

In order to apprise the occupants of house A of the presence of mail in the box, I provide a bell 12 or other suitable alarm in the house, actuated by a battery 13, said bell and battery being connected by wires 14 to metal posts 15, secured to the bent portion 1 of the tube 1. In order to close the circuit from the battery to the bell, I provide the bottom of the mail-box 7 with'two metal plates 16, insulated from one another, said plates being positioned so that they engage posts 15 when the box is at the road end of the device.

17 represents a switch pivotally mounted on one plate 16 and adapted to engage the other plate.

The box 7 is divided into two compartments, one for the outgoing mail for the carrier, while the other is for the house mail. The door 18 to the house-mail compartment is provided with an arm 19, which engages the free end of switch 17 when the door is closed and depresses it, so that the other end does not engage the plate 16, but when the door 18 is opened the weight of the switcharm brings it into engagement with the plate and the circuit is closed from the battery to the bell, so that the occupants of the house fire apprised of the presence of mail in the 20 represents the door to the outgoing mail compartment, and 21 represents a signal-arm pivotally mounted at the side thereof and so arranged that when no mail is contained in the outgoing compartment the arm is swung inside the door 20 and the signal is concealed; but when the door is opened to insert mail the arm is swung outwardly manually or by a spring and remains out until the mail is removed, when the carrier swings it inside of the door 20.

It will be understood that my invention is capable of use for delivering bundles of merchandise to the house from the road as well as mail and that a further adaption of the idea would consist in placing a waterproof box at the post 2 to receive packages too large to go into the mail-box, the occupants of the house being notified of the presence of the packages in the box by means of a card placed in the house-mail compartment of the mail-box 7.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a mail-box transmitter, posts, cross bars secured to said posts, a tube secured to said cross-bars, said tube being bent downward atone of the posts and doubled back on itself, said tube being slotted, a cable mounted in said tube, a link secured to the ends of said-cable, astandard secured to said link, a

mail-box pivotally secured to said standard,

and means to actuate said cable, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a mail-box transmitter, posts, crossbars secured to said posts, a tube secured to said crossbars, said tube being bent downward at one of=the posts and doubled back on itself, said tube being slotted, a cable mounted in said tube, a link secured to the ends of cross-bars then given a quarter-turn Where bent downward and extending along the side of the downwardly-extending portion, a cable mounted in the tube, a link secured to the ends of said cable, a standard secured to said link and extending through the slot in the tube, a mail-box pivotally secured to said standard and means to actuate said cable, said mail-box being adapted to be actuated by said cable and come to rest on the doubledback portion of said tube, substantially as shown and described.

4:. In a mail-box transmitter, posts, crossbars secured to said posts, a tube secured -to said crossbars, said tube being bent downward at one of the posts and doubled back on itself, said tube being slotted, theslot being on the under side of said tube between said cross-bars thengiven a quarter-turn where bent downward and extending along the side of the downwardly-extending portion, a ca- I ble mounted in the tube, a link secured to the ends of said cable, a standard secured to said link and extending through the slot in the tube, a mail-box pivotally secured to said standard, a drum suitably positioned adjacent to the ends of said tube, the cable passed around said drum, and gearing to rotate said drum, said mail-box being adapted to be actuated by'said cable and come to rest on the doubled-back portion of said tube, substan tially as shown and described.

In testimony'whereof I hereto afli'x my signatureinthe presence of two witnesses.

HENRY MUELLER.

IVitnesses:

NORMAN E. VAN DYKE, FRED A. SOELDNER. 

